India expresses concern over terrorists getting WMDs

Raising concern over possibility of collusion between terrorists and those with access to weapons of mass destruction (WMDs), India has called for the adoption of the long-stalled Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism.

Speaking on Wednesday at the Security Council debate on preventing access to WMDs by terrorists, India's Deputy Permanent Representative Tanmaya Lal said that while "terror networks and non-State actors, by themselves, do not have any capacity or access to advanced and sensitive technologies and materials," there have been "instances of proliferation of WMDs."

"The possibility of such collusion remains a real cause for concern," he added.

He warned, "Preventing access to Weapons of Mass Destruction and their means of delivery to non-state actors systems is a continuing concern, especially as terrorist groups and non-state actors strike ever deeper roots and exploit different avenues to strike terror."

Therefore "an early conclusion of negotiations on the draft Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism will be helpful," he said.

New Delhi was fully committed to strengthening national and global non proliferation efforts and was a party to all the 13 universal instruments "accepted as benchmarks for a State's commitments to combat international terrorism," Lal added.

He said that India's admission to the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) in June 2016, "is a recognition of India's non-proliferation record and its ability to contribute to global non-proliferation efforts."

(Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in)

--IANS

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